***Antoineth POV***

How could this have happened?

How could I? Antoineth von Stahlin-Bohrbon, the young lady of the last surviving Cadet Branch of the Imperial Family, destined to be the Empress of Atlantasia have become a slave?

I was supposed to become the fiancée to that young, weak-willed fool of an Emperor and eventually as his wife. I don’t mind letting that stooge be my husband (at least in the name). It was my duty as the future Empress to help him rule. Besides, he was nothing more than a figurehead. It was my father who truly ran the Empire.

I was supposed to have it all!

Fortune! Prestige! Admiration!

It was all supposed to be mine!

But in one fell swoop, it was all taken and denied from me!

The buffoon of an Emperor…showed his true terrifying colors.

He captured my father and his allies with the aid of those vile Night Lurkers! I never even knew he was in league with a bunch of criminals! He then announced that my father was no longer the Prime Minister and that our family was stripped of our nobility.

Oh, the horror!

My father tried to fight back but he was defeated! I saw their battle through a broadcast crystal those Night Lurkers had displayed. It seemed they wanted to show what that buffoon was capable of.

All this time, I thought he was a weakling that needed knights to protect him.

But what was he?

To be able to defeat my father who was one of the most powerful mages and swordsmen in the Empire! All the time he was that powerful?! He did all sorts of things that I never thought were possible! What was that giant Water Dragon? What was slicing a meteor in half?!

Monster…. He was a monster!

And before my very eyes, I saw my father obliterated by a sword technique that still sends chills down my bone.

Then that monster ordered me to be confined in our estate.

Then I received another devastating news…

My dear brother Napolyon had been killed trying to resist arrest for numerous crimes I’d never heard nor dream he’d do. Sure, I hear he’s quite a philanderer but where did all those crimes of extortion and murder come from?

Then I heard my dear Aunt Gryselda Batory, who had also been that monster’s governess, had been arrested for child trafficking and illegal slavery. This did not make any sense. For all I know, she loved children, even the undeserving commoners, and those vile beasts. I know she picked up those dirty brats from the streets and would send them off to places that would care for them. Even though I can’t see why, she would willingly pay and endorse those places called orphanages.

So although I can’t understand her concern for such brats, her being accused of such crimes was absurd.

But no, I heard she was given a verdict and was swiftly executed the day I received the news.

And it didn’t just stop there. My cousins from the Count Stahlin House had also been accused and stripped of their nobility along with their assets. Those who were active with my father’s glorious plans for the Empire were either executed or imprisoned.

As my whole world collapsed around me, I shut myself completely in my room. But even that didn’t last. Guards entered my room without permission and announced that the Bohrbon Archducal Palace had been seized and returned to the crown. I was to be brought to the Emperor once more to receive a verdict of my own.

Why? I haven’t committed any crimes!

My little playful teasing was not seen as such but was a major offense to him. He declared it as lese majeste and that my ignorance and the horrible treatment of those of lesser status than me were already crimes! Why? As servants, they were lesser beings! That’s how they should be dealt with! But no, I was to receive equivalent punishment.

It was far worse. Rather than death, he made me a slave to him and that beast of a maid! I was painfully branded and sent to the deepest recesses of the Palace to await what kind of horrendous tasks.

An illustrious daughter of the Archducal Family of Bohrbon falling to that of a mere slave?.

As I sat here in despair, I contemplated ending it all.

“Young Miss!”

A voice whispered through the cells of the bars.

I looked up and saw a black hooded figure. I saw the face underneath the hooded cloak. I knew who he was. He was one of my father’s loyal subordinates. He pulls out a key and opens the cell bars.

“What are you doing here? Where are the guards?”

“They have been neutralized, Young Miss. Our allies have banded together to help you escape.”

“But this slave seal.” I touched the mark branded on my neck.

“The Slave Brander was our ally and that Slave Mark is a fake. I apologize but it has no actual effect other than causing slight pain during that time.”

“Why?! Why has nobody told me about this!”

This was ridiculous! All this time I’ve been wallowing that I’ve been made a slave, only to find out that I wasn’t!

“I’m truly sorry, Young Miss. But we needed to exercise caution.”

“Never mind that now! Just get me out of here!”

And with that. I made my escape from the Palace with the aid of my father’s allies.

***a carriage traveling in the evening***

I was hidden underneath a secret compartment in the seats of this carriage. I would’ve preferred to be sitting but given the circumstance, I suppose I should let it slide for now.

How long was this ride going to last?

Thud!

Ow! I bumped my head on the side!

“Milady, we have arrived.”

“About time! Now, where are we?”

I looked around and saw the towering structure of St. Artur’s Cathedral. What are we doing here?

“Ah, it seems the young miss of the fallen Stahlin House has arrived?”

Fallen…

I clenched my fist.

I turned and saw a group of elegantly robed men led by a portly figure of a man dressed in fancier robes. Ugh...I knew this man. He was the Patriarch of the Atlantasia Orthodox Church, Rotherigo von Vorgia.

My father corresponds with him with some dealings he never tells me about. I don’t like him though. I dislike the lascivious look he always gives me. But now he was giving me a look of sarcastic pity. I don’t want that from you!

“My, we can’t have you appear amongst the rest of our guests in such an appearance. Give her a quick bath and some decent attire.”

I can tell that he has some ulterior motive for such hospitality. Luckily, the nobles who escorted me out of the dungeons were quick.

“The others are already here, Your Eminence. They’ve requested that Lady Antoineth be brought directly to the meeting.”

“Hmph? So they wish to see how far I have fallen. Very well.”

Although I felt they intended to save me from whatever this lusty Patriarch had in mind., I also felt slighted. They wanted to see me in the appearance of a fallen Archduke’s Daughter. Hmph! Very well, I shall keep my composure as a proud daughter of the Bohrbon and the Stahlin Family.

After a much-needed freshening up, I was then brought underneath the Cathedral and into the Catacombs.

I was seated at a large table where several people were seated. I recognized a majority of them were a part of my father’s faction who weren’t captured. Some were also prominent nobles from the neutral faction.

There were also priests from the Church with the Patriarch himself leading them. Beside him was Jacks von D’Molay, the Grand Master of the Church’s Templars that serve as the military order of the Church. Behind them were people wearing overly elegant robes. They must be from the Upper Clergy.

The governing body of the Church.

Then there was another group of merchants. I recognize some of them as they made deals with my father from time to time.

Then there was a group I thought I’d never met. They were the Anti-Imperialists. The one who disliked the Imperial Monarchy and would like to assert their dominance over the nation believing they are the ones best suited to rule as an elite group.

Bah?! Bunch of hypocrites. They were just sneaky and conniving crooks with plans to assert dominance now that father was gone.

So why were they all here gathered together? As far as I know, they were at odds since my father was alive. I sat quietly and listened to them.

“I never expected the Emperor to be that kind of person the whole time. All this time, I thought he was nothing more than a stooge.”

“And Lord Adolv never realized that the puppet he had been raising was a vicious snake ready to bite at the opportunity.”

“Ready to bite is an understatement. Those fangs of his were tipped with poison.”

“And have you seen his Magical Ability? I was told he was mediocre. But being able to cast that Spell that affected the whole Capital and dispelled it with relative ease. Then he created that dragon made of water.”

“You’re forgetting his swordsmanship! I also heard he was pathetic but you saw how he cut that Grand Magic! I was frightened at that time.”

“Oh yes, you were there weren’t you.”

“Indeed I was there too!”

“I’ll tell you this, he’s not someone we can fight with force. Who knows what else he is capable of.”

“It’s ironic that Adolv had created his very worst enemy.”

“More like our worst enemy! He’s cracking down on all of us!”

“Indeed, I just received word that Count Polpott has just been apprehended this early morning!”

“My word! He’s supposed to be very meticulous in keeping things hidden.”

“Do you think the Night Lurkers managed to sniff him out?”

“I don’t know. My informant amongst the Imperial Knights and Sentries was arrested.”

“Yours too?”

“Mine as well!”

“How did that Emperor even know who our informants are?!”

That monster somehow had gotten intel on their activities and they were being rounded up one by one. It must be the work of those vile Night Lurkers! Just how far was their reach? This begs the question, how long was that monster in league with them?

“Enough, all of you!”, Patriarch Vorgia said with a growl. “Don’t forget that we are all here.”

Everyone fell silent.

“First of all. I am sure you’ve heard the broadcast regarding the Emperor’s so-called “Reforms” as he says it.”

All of them had dark faces.

I was only able to hear it because that monster’s voice could be heard throughout the Capital. Those reforms had severe repercussions on the nobility and the clergy. The abolishment of serfdom, compulsory land dedication for farming, hiring of skilled people rather than those of nobility, stricter tax control, racial tolerance, severe penalties on noblemen and clergy…

Everyone complained about how these reforms would restrict their influence and businesses.

Patriarch Vorgia had a bitter look on his face when he told all present that he had sent the Emperor a letter on some proposal for laws for the church and the empire. He thought the Emperor wouldn’t be so bold as to deliberately oppose the Church. But the person didn’t reply and instead revealed in his broadcast a retinue of religious reforms that practically cleaved the Church’s influence in the government.

The problem was that it seems the general public is in favor of his reforms. What’s more, it would seem difficult to oppose them now that the Emperor had announced them first. He hadn’t called the Privy Council, who would’ve put a stop to this. But according to one of them who was present, the Emperor had sent them letters that he was dissolving the Privy Council set up by my father in favor of his own chosen members and they would form his own Privy Council.

That fool. Father chose them for their expertise and he is throwing them away?!

While all these factions were trying to make sense of how to curb these reforms they still have the problems of the crackdowns on them. So now they’ve decided to band together. Just these few days, several prominent Houses were found guilty, stripped of their nobility, and either executed or made into slaves.

Is he trying to turn the nobles and clergy into his enemies?! Not that I don’t mind him having problems.

They are now rallying to put a stop to that monster’s plots.

From what I can tell, they were planning to use the Emperor’s “Skilled Persons Recruitment Drive” to implant some of their own into his restructured government.

It may take a while but soon the Imperial government will have our allies and we can cause all his plans to fail from the inside and invite the people to depose the Emperor.

I could only inwardly smile at myself.

Just you wait, Emperor Wilthelm.

How long are you going to hold on to that throne?

Right now, I may have been rescued out of the loyalty of some of my father’s followers but I will return. I am told I can go undercover and work my way into the government. Hmph. This should be easy. I was trained by papa, you know. I will work my way up to these people’s ranks.

Soon the throne, no...the whole of Atlantasia will be ours once more!

After signing a Magic Protected Document listing our names and our purpose and then marking it with their seals, Patriarch Vorgia raises his glass.

“So today marks the union for our just cause!”

Everyone raised their glasses.

“For the return of our era!”

““““For the return of our era!”””””

Everyone repeated as they drank.

“...Which is never going to happen…”

A cold voice resounded throughout the catacombs.

Some of them spluttered as they heard that.

“That voice!”

“I can’t be!”

Then the whole room went dark!

“What is going on? Kyah-mrpgh?”

In the darkness, someone clamped a hand on my mouth and whisked me away!

***3rd person POV***

In the darkness, everyone was struggling for a good whole ten minutes.

“What’s going on?!”

“That was the Emperor’s voice!”

“Damn! I have to get out of here!”

“Gyah! You’re stepping on my foot! These shoes are brand new!”

“I can’t even see your damned shoes in the first place!”

“Somebody use some Light or Fire Magic!”

“Before that! Use some Wind Magic. Something smells!”

Everything had gone chaotic. They spent a good few minutes scrambling around in confusion and panic.

“Enough! All of you!” The Patriarch yelled in irritation. “Tch...these fools. Why does every conniving noble seem to have the intellect of insects when they’re caught in a panic?!”

The ring on his hand was a Magic Tool that could allow him to utilize Fire Magic instantly.

“Ignite upon my hand! Fireball!”

A ball of flame appeared and then…

***Antoineth's POV once more***

I found myself thrown on the roof of a building. Ouch! What kind of brute would just kidnap me and throw me on the ground?

“It seems you can’t even follow simple instructions to stay put.”

That voice...it can’t be.

“Y-You?!”

The one who kidnapped me stood before me.

It was him! The one I hated the most! The one who took everything from me!

Emperor Wilthelm VII.

“You murderer! You criminal! You monster!” I leaped to my feet and ran towards him. I just wanted to strangle him!

But as though he didn’t even see me as a threat he simply stepped aside. What’s more, he swept his foot on my legs to knock me over!

“Kyaaaa!”

I came crashing down, my face hitting the floor.

“How many times have you called me a “Murderer”? I’d also gladly take the “monster” bit. If it’s coming from my enemies then I have no problems with that. But calling me a criminal? Just let me correct you. Who’re the ones who committed crimes here? Well, I should probably thank you for becoming the decoy for me to find out where these insurgents were hiding. The Tracking Spell I had Slave Brander place on you was quite effective.”

The Slave Brander?

“But he was our ally!”

“Oh, you mean that Slave Brander. The one everyone thought was an ally of theirs? Well, how does this look? Illusion.”

He waved a hand over himself and he transformed into that Slave Brander. I stared in shock. What kind of Magic was he employing?

“Amazing, right? I can even mimic his voice. Less effective than a Transformation Potion but highly useful. I placed this spell on one of my allies. Then I had him pose as the Slave Brander who I knew from the start was one of your dad’s cronies. Oh, that also means that the slave mark is real.”

That means…I never had a chance to escape. And he was even using me!

“Just kill me! Kill me like what you did to my family! To our supporters! Kill me and be done with it!”

Just how long was it going to take pleasure in my suffering?

“You’re right about that. I have other things to do so I’ll wrap this up quickly.”

What exactly is he going to do? I shuddered to think. Was he going to torture me? Was he really going to kill me?

Just as I feared, he pulled out his wand. It was something so beautiful but in his hands was a terrifying weapon.

I tried to run but one wave of that wand and I was caught in a block of ice!

“Antoineth… This is my real punishment for you.”

He circled so we could see each other face to face.

“I only hope the best for you.”

Huh? What does he mean by that? Why is he looking at me...with pity?

He points the wand to my forehead and mutters some words that I was unable to hear before a flash of light robbed me of my senses.

Then…nothingness…

***Will’s POV***

It took me a couple of minutes to be done with what I had to do. when I was done, I stared back at

“So you’ve finished on your end, boy?”

I turned around and saw she was with Nils and two others, Chariot and Justice.

Chariot, known publicly by his real name Niko von Mellvyle, is a great business partner and a good friend of mine. He’s also Nils and Nera’s older brother and the current Marquis Mellvyle.

The other was Justice. He’s Roulette’s deputy and his real name is-

“What happened to Lady Antoineth?” asks Niko, noticing she wasn’t there.

“Got rid of her. I had to be the one to do it. And you don’t have to add the “Lady” part. She’s no longer one.”

I say it simply with a tone of finality. I already made sure she wouldn’t ever resurface ever again. Nils and Niko had a complicated look on their faces but kept their silence. Justice simply shrugged as though he expected this of me.

“Anyhow…” I decided to change the subject, “Those insurgents should be knocked out right now. Is everyone in position?”

“Team A is heading to the Sentries on duties disguised as citizens to alert them. Team B is on standby awaiting raid orders,” explains Justice.

“Alright. Let’s “catch” the insurgents on the act-”

KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eh?

We all turned and saw a massive mushroom cloud explosion emanating from where the Cathedral stood.

Swearing loudly, I swiftly created a barrier. Just in time too. My barrier spell shielded us from the shockwave that ensued. But all surrounding areas got the full force of the impact. The shockwave caused the windows of nearby buildings to shatter!

As the shockwave cleared, we could see massive clouds of smoke and the outline of the Cathedral collapsing into rubble. The night sky had been painted red with the flames. Loud yells and screams can be heard from all over.

Roulette whipped her head towards me. An uncharacteristic look of utmost shock was on her face, “What the hell was that?! You didn’t tell me that gas could explode?!”

“It shouldn’t! Chloroform will knock them out in five minutes! Nils, What’s going on? I told you to use the vial with the blue stopper!”

“Hey, I did! I don’t know what’s going on either!” he looked very panicked. “Damn! Nera!”

Crap! Nera was part of Team B. They should be stationed near the Cathedral!

“Let me contact her!”

I contacted her via Telepathy Magic

“ Nera!”

“Y-Your Majesty?!” She sounded shocked and dazed but alright

“Oh, Thank goodness… Is everyone alright?”

“We’re alright! The Barrier Charms you gave us saved me so the others should be okay as well.”

She was unharmed thanks to the Barrier Charms I gave each of the Night Lurkers for emergencies. If hers worked, the rest of the Night Lurkers were also okay. I hope so.

“She’s fine! The Barrier Charms saved her.”

Both Niko and Nils looked relieved.

“Then the others should be okay. It seems your precautions have paid off, this time.”

“This time?”

“However, this changes everything. Can you contact every one and tell them to rendezvous at 4 Cross?” says Roulette, looking serious now.

I nodded. I then relayed the message to Nera and both teams.

“Justice and I will head out to the rendezvous point and see if they’re all alright. We’ll have to withdraw. Can you get in touch with Group A and stop them from alerting the Sentries? That explosion pretty much did the job for them.“

If that explosion didn’t wake the Sentries up then I seriously need to think about our emergency response…

“Niko head on back and quickly alert the different R&M Branches to prepare the emergency supplies.”

Niko nods as he quickly leaps across the roofs.

“We’ll head back to the Palace. The guards would probably be coming to alert me. If there’s anyone injured, quickly bring them to Escape Route 4. There’s a getaway carriage that will bring them to Villa Riverhaven.”

Roulette and Justice nodded as they too leaped and disappeared into the shadows.

I then messaged Nera once more.

“Nera, if anyone asks. Tell them you are visiting your brother at Mellvyle Estate as I gave you the time off.”

“Thank you. Please be careful!”

“Nils, let’s go!”

“Right!”

I grabbed Nils and escaped from the scene using Warp Magic.

***Hallways leading to the Emperor’s Private Apartments***

Several knights led by Leofold were running towards the guarded doors of the Emperor’s private apartments. The guards at the doors were on high alert. They heard the explosion but didn’t leave their posts to protect the Emperor.

“We have an Emergency! There’s been an attack. We have to evacuate His Majesty.”

The guards nodded. The usual protocol was for one of them to enter and then announce it to the Emperor.

But just as the assigned guard on duty was about to open the door it slammed on him in the face.

“Ah, sorry about that.”

The Emperor walked out. He was already wearing his unusual black uniform. He even looked a little out of breath, perhaps he had rushed to change.

“Good evening, Captain Leofold. I take it you are here to inform me about that explosion?”

Leofold was taken aback by how calm he was. Or rather, the expression of seriousness on his face.

“Pardon our intrusion, Your Majesty! But there has been an explosion at St. Artur’s Cathedral!”

“I know. I saw that mushroom cloud from the terrace.”

“This may be an arson attack. We need to evacuate you-”

“I will do nothing of the sort. We are heading there right now.”

“H-Huh?”

“Have a horse ready! We are going to the scene at once.”

The Emperor walked past him in great strides. Leofold and the knights scrambled in a panic to follow him.

“But Your Majesty, it’s too dangerous-”

But the Emperor once again cut him off.

“Dispatch all active-duty units of the Imperial Guard and Sentries to the scene at once to evacuate and assist the civilians in the area. Send word to the Capital-stationed soldiers of the Gemini and Libra Divisions to assist. Specifically, those who can use Wind and Water Magic to suppress fires and smoke. Sortie the Virgo Division as well, there may be some casualties.”

Everyone was dumbfounded as the Emperor relayed his orders.

“WHAT ARE YOU ALL WAITING FOR?! THIS IS AN IMPERIAL ORDER! GET GOING!” The Emperor roared in a loud voice that echoed throughout the halls.

““““Y-YES! BY YOUR WILL!”””””